I've always been facsinated by the unusual materiels that artists use to make mosaics. Afterall, a mosaic is simply described as "small units which make up a whole". Many artists take that quite literally and that is where the fun begins. 

My students at Cape Cod Community College have surprised me throughout the years. I had one student make a mosaic out of M&M candies. Another delighted her classmates with a mosaic brownie, which we greedily consumed after her presentation ( I had to give her an "A" for that one! )

While surfing the web I have come across a mosaic artists whose medium include food  and other things. Albania based artist Saimir Strati uses industrial nails, toothpicks, and cork in his magical mosaics. Roger Rocha works in jellybeans. New Orleans resident Stephan Wanger has discovered his artistic side  by using thousands of  Mardis Gras beads as his medium, creating some of the most amazing murals in the city. Finally, Colorado artist Jaon Baalman's Cheeto's mosaics are something to grab attention in the art world.

I discovered this amazing web site created by artist Sunni Brown. She is, for lack of a better word, a Doodler. These doodles, are much more than they appear to be. This technique, called Visual Notetaking-  a visual way to understand your notes with color, pictures and typography . Here is her doodle of the book, "The War of Art" - a must read for all artists, writers and/or anyone who wants to set out on a mission.
Visit her site and see her and other doodle artists' work. I'm sure you will be as impressed as I.http://sunnibrown.com/doodlerevolution/

On Sunday, January 15, as the wind chill hit 1 degree, forty determined folks came to Woodruff Art Center in Mashpee, MA.to see us give a demonstration of mosaic art. I was blown away by the response! Jim spoke a bit about the history of mosaics and the materials, substrates, etc. that we use. Fortunately, he had brought plenty of vitreous glass tiles and a bunch of 4" squares so that our guests could try it to nip some tiles and glue them down on their own. They were so intent on creating something really beautiful. Sure enough many of them did just that!
Debbie was there handing out our brochu and signing folks up for workshops at Highfield Hall- the next one being held on February 4&5. 

I'm happy to get the schedule for 2012 out on the internet on the first week of the year, as planned. It has been a real pleasure working with the fine teachers who will be here this summer.
Ahhhh, summer. it won't be long before the flowers start budding and the winds blow warmer. Here on Cape Cod, we have had a pleasant winter so far, although the temperature outside today is below 30 degrees. It's a bit cold in my studio for sure, but once the heater gets cranking I could spend the whole day. I always go back to Stephen Pressfield's "War of Art" for inspiration. Here is a quote that relates to working all day in the studio."When we sit down day after day and keep grinding, something mysterious starts to happen... Unseen forces enlist in our cause; serendipity reinforces our purpose".
Off to work, Jim

Happy New Year to your mind, body and spirit. For your mind, may you seek out more education and challenge yourself to learning new techniques. For your body, may you be healthy and strong to work on your art. And for your spirit, may you nourish your soul by giving yourself the gift of time to practice you art.